Both Lani and I have been out hunting the last few days. Sadly, I can't say I found much to report to you with enthusiasm. New hunts start in just a few hours of course and that is great news. Meanwhile, one item that both Lani and I agreed on was this great sweater from Blanche's Boutique on the Dirty Turkey Hunt (orange feather). Now I can't say that this was an EASY feather to find. Look BEHIND things for sure *wink*, but the prize is great. Actually I saw lots of cute items in the shop so be sure and peruse while you are hunting. We are both dressed in a Northwest Grunge style here which is fairly appropriate considering where the typist lives. I will of course be changing soon, but I think Lani has found her style and will never be a fashionista. That's really OK by me.

My hair and hat is Steve from Emo-tions. I can't tell exactly from the notecard if this is new or on sale this weekend, but if you like it, guy or gal, stop by the shop and check it out.

My cute Christmas cards on the wall came from LISP in the Holiday Market.

I logged in this morning to find a huge winter collection from AD Creations. Now I can't say that many of her items are something I would wear on a daily basis, but they get lots of points for creativity - LOTS *wink*. They are also very winter themed including the white skin, perfect for a quick trip to Winterfell, my favorite of the seasonal sims.

The outfit above is called Miss Christmas Skeleton. It definitely makes a striking photo in the late dusky afternoon.

This is one of two winter skins available. These are "doll" outfits, but as long as you like the slightly bizarre, you can mix them into your everyday style.

My boots are from Prim and Pixel, not new but still available in many colors.

It seems like years ago, but was in fact only a few months, when I wrote a somewhat philosophical post on the entrance of MESH into Second Life. One of my theories was that the real power of mesh -- something that would induce folks to move into Meshland *wink* would be full avatars. That has indeed come to pass and was most likely well under way when I wrote my original post. But today, thanks to fellow blog queen, Jule Lemondrop, I saw an outstanding example of my musings.

I didn't get over to *DOLLCOCO* until this early eve. It is even higher in the sky than I thought we could go -- and that seems pretty fitting for this lofty enterprise :D. As a photographer I was blown away at the entrance. I didn't even need to see the dolls to be impressed, I was entranced with the "sets". Well, they are not really SETS, but that is how I think these days, most often in movie making mode.

Eventually I made my way to the spot where you can pick up free doll bodies (group tag activation). There are both white and dark bodies. I was actually leaning towards the dark version, but at the moment there is only one dark head. Still, ya know I picked it up for the future.

There are a good number of faces (whole heads actually) to choose from. This is Lena. In order to become a doll, you deprim, add a full alpha mask invisibility layer and then put on all the doll parts -- arms and legs and such. Heads can be switched depending on your mood. You can use your same avatar hair. This jester costume -- so fitting for my photo shoot -- is also free as a group gift.

Doll heads come in a set with both open and closed eyes. These are beautifully made, so if you have played at being a doll somewhere in your SL lifetime and want to take that to the next level -- now is your chance.

Me? I am thinking about how to work this into my next movie -- ah inspiration.

There are some great looking doll only clothes and shoes in the shop too. You need specialty attire for these dollies. Even if you aren't too interested in being a doll from time to time, get over to the shop and just wander. That is an impressive journey in itself.

Later note: You may find that it is difficult to RETURN to your previous shape. Scary, but logging out and logging in fixed it for me. Even though you change to a new shape the position of your various parts (arms, thighs, calves etc.) seem to "stick". Be sure you have an outfit saved that you can transfer into. I had MANY and eventually got back to "me" :D.

Lani is updating her look as time goes by. Today she found a new skin (3 in a pack and free) from *Step inSide*. Find the coat hanger hunt object to garner three makeups in each of three tones AND the tga files. Her new necklace with matching earrings (worn but hiding under all that hair) are a group gift from NHA!. It is a small shop with some outstanding Boho-esce designs.

These very impressive and difficult to miss grunge boots are from Death Row Designs on the group Midnight board. A quick check tonight showed 25 spots left before the witching hour deadline. So if this is your style, get over there.

Meet Alba; Alba 06 Dark to be exact. A new release from Akerukaand on sale along with the rest of the store for the 25,26 and 27. This is a beautiful skin -- a bit knowing, a bit ethereal. The skins come with eyebrow tattoos so you can coordinate with your hair color. I have never worn this shade of my Luna hair from Magika, but wearing the red eyebrows convinced me to give it a try.

I am really liking Alba. I think I will give her a few days try out. You know I don't switch skins easily *wink*, but she is pretty seductive. ALSO, the group join fee is down to zero for the same time period. And you know what that means? You can try out that dollarbie group gift skin I featured a few days ago. There is one for guys too.

My very feminine undies are a new release from Paradisis. Sweet Sugar is the style name.

The wintery -- thank goodness we don't get cold in SL -- backdrop is the new sky surround and yard I built today; it will be home for the next month on the LEA. I still (amazingly) have enough prims to furnish the house. I have never had this many prims before! (insert big smile here).

OK. I have to admit I was a little shocked when I hopped into this pose and found myself in a tight embrace. Wonder and I are not "that" kind of friends. But the extremely pretty Snowy Picnic in the Woods set from Hanaya as part of the Candy Cane 3 grid wide hunt (dollarbie) said I needed a partner and Wonder was available and almost always dressed in outdoor casual mode *wink*.

The set includes a whole wintery scene including picnic basket and coffee giving pot. Items come coalesced with the picnic table setup being one piece, the trees and grass another, picnic basket a third and the lights with squirrel a forth. Happily with so may extra prims at my disposal, I copied over more trees and grass. Such a pretty view which may get enhanced sometime soon. It IS that holiday season and snow at 3700 meters is still snow :D. Edit: While enhancing my landscape with more trees and snowy grass, I found that the coffee set is also separate. So many choices :D. Also it appears that the trees may be mesh as when I made copies it said 20 prims and 55 prim equivalents. But even if you aren't in a mesh viewer, you can use parts of the set.

A note from the designer let me know that the trees are regular sculpties and not mesh. I have no idea what that message in Firestorm 3 meant then. Hmmmm.

There are three different (long) animations -- each shown here. The fellow (or person taking that spot) sits first. It seems like the first sitter is the only one that can change the poses, at least in my experiments. /1a adjustments are in the mix for fine tuning.

No newness in the outfit arena this eve. My closet seems to be filled with fancier accouterments.

Once you have faced the crowds or at least the computer for Friday shopping, take a breather and expend a sigh. It might be relief or it might be those few seconds when fantasy meets reality -- virtually at least. Ice Queen is the new WEEKEND release from EMO-tions. Wings and feathers are included, just not my style :D. The coordinating hair goes by the same name. I am wearing the dramatic dark red version.

The silvery bit of royalty called for equally pale skin and happily I had last weekend's special from Apple May Designs to wear for the first time. I added one of the KOSH- LOST SOULS EYESHADOWS which I so love and most often forget to add *wink*. The dragonblood version worked perfectly with the hair.

Since SL wouldn't let me buy those great mesh sweaters from Mr. Poet last eve (finally fixed this morning) I took some time to peruse the Marketplace freebies. And look what I found! This very nice jeans and sweater set in lovely Fall colors from [VS] Style. Now the jeans are a little low-slung for my personal tastes, so I added an undershirt to protect my tender tummy from the cold air. The sculpy parts work very well; I love the slouchy pant cuffs.

The Mr. Poet free sweaters (white, black and blue) are pretty nifty and while sized for guys of course, work OK for gals, giving us that "I borrowed my boyfriend's sweater" look. Most of us already have the great free color change scarves from Mr. Poet, but if they are missing from your inventory, be sure and pick those up while you are there. They are on the wall next to the lucky boards.

I have to say I was happily surprised to see that taking off the prim part of the sweater from [VS] Style, left a very cute cropped top which works well with this sweater coat. Yeah!

Lani was busy watching the lucky board at the Gabriel prop store, Tia, yesterday and after a little while she came away with the prop backdrop you see in the top photo and below. It is around 150 prims with all the accessories and included lighting choices, couch color and glow changes as well as solid "green screen" backdrops if that is your style.

I can't say I was thrilled with the way the poses work. It is the old multi pose ball set up and once you get in the spot you want, you turn on the pose from your inventory. The poses however (Gabriel has a pose shop also) are very nice and Lani was thrilled to have them added to her almost non-existent pose collection. They fit her very well. So this is definitely a great addition to your prop set up if you have a little time. The board is a group one; joiner is right next to the board.

One last thing before I depart for the corporeal climes; I finally got around to changing my Audrey heels from KALNINS FASHION to another color. Black has been working several days for me *wink*, but I wanted to show you one more time the lovely finishing work on these shoes (and feet of course). They are really premium and one of my favorite footwear styles of the season. I actually make copies of the shoes after changing color as I am a lazy gal, but if you pride yourself on a skinny inventory, the color changing is a breeze. See previous posts for other photos. Click the one at left for a closer view.

And while I was typing up this last part of my post, I won the pose prop from Gabriel on a wildcard! :D

Lani has been out looking for wardrobe enhancements. She won a big prize yesterday and so lindens are not a problem. Still, if it is great AND free? Even better. There are lots of hunts going on now and advent calendars will no doubt be in evidence soon (love those). With a bit more time, I will be checking out some places on my to do list.

Above is an outfit from the Dollar for Dollar Hunt. The complete outfit is shown on our guest for the day, Divine. While Lani loved it all, her more than necessary for survival type shape caused some fitting issues *smile*. Still she was thrilled with what she could use in the prize from Fa Creation. She went with black jeans from the prize at another stop -- a bit more slimming ya know. The boots resized nicely and she even made the socks larger all by themselves. These could work for guys too I am thinking. BTW the dotted sweater has a really cute fringe piece that is difficult to see on Divine and not sizable for chunky Lani. So cute!

Also in the news, but not shown are new male and female tall biker (silver buckles and such) boots from Gabriel; a group gift. In fact there lots of great group gifts for both guys and gals as you first walk in the store. So if you haven't visited of late, now is the time to check that out. Amazingly the group gifts are transfer (yes really). There is also a sale going on. There are some nice things at discount prices, but watch the vendors as I found a couple with sale tags and the original prices :D.

Exploration mode has been in force now that I have almost completed my installation and the video is in the can and up on YouTube. Letting my fingers guide me walking through the SL destination guide, I picked Risk City as it looked both interesting and photogenic. It is indeed that and a must see in my book. So many places to explore. Let the teleporter be your means of transport. Pick up a listing of spots and some free goodies from the suitcases at the landing point.

Now, about this outfit ---- If you have been following this blog over the years, you know that I am not a huge fan of latex. But, that being said there are always exceptions. This new release outfit from Gwen Carillon Designs is a sassy little number and I love the bandeau bra that is part of the set. Everything is covered but not all that well *wink* so if you are into baring skin, this is for you. AND, the minute I saw it I knew it would look great with some free hair I found at EMO-tions the other day. When I went to the shop to sign up for the group I did a little wandering and found some gift bags not far from the entrance on the opposite side of the wall where the group joiner is located. There were several styles out for free and this is my favorite. Wild and wacky. Chandra, babe, you need to go pick this up for your new dance career!

I admit to hanging out in pants ninety percent of my life. Still, now and then I like to dip into more romantic garb and for me that most often means period of some sort. Anywhere in the teen centuries works for me. This very romantic gown is a new release from Kouse's Sanctum named Brianna. I chose the forest version; crimson and chocolate are also available. The long glitch pants are of the same damask as the bodice vest so with some boots and a belt, you could be romantic in that more swashbuckling way *wink*. A bodice without sleeves is also included.

Additions to my styling include the new TORI group gift hair from EMO-tions (send a note to join the group; info at store entrance) and pearl necklace from BeautyCode. Striking new heels peak out from beneath the layers of flowing fabric. They are from KALNINS FASHION and release tomorrow. See last night's post for more info.

A brave gal this eve, I took a walk on the wild side to Infernal Ville, which looks welcoming and picturesque from the destination guide. In reality it IS very photogenic, but there were a few too many demons there for my personal comfort zone. Ah the things we bloggers do for a pretty backdrop.

I am new from top to toe tonight. Updo vintage hair from POMME D'AMOUR (Ladybug in Glorious Gray), a new dress from Blueblood (Kirsten in red) and a new Thanksgiving gift skin from Akeruka.

The skin is really lovely with just the kind of makeup that I adore. You should know that there is a "Happy Thanksgiving" tattoo on the back shoulders so you may want to wear this with sweaters and such. Still, it is a great gift and a nice way to try out the brand from the previous designer at Damiani and LaVie. My intel is non-existent on this present; there is a fee to join the group if this is indeed a group gift. So do a little research; I left you breadcrumbs *wink*.

While you can't tell from my lead photo, I am wearing these very sexy and nicely textured heels from KALNINS FASHION. There are three parts of the shoe that can be changed to one of twelve colors. Metals can also be changed and of course nails. Skin tones are on another tab and use both preset colors as well as the "which is closer to your color" variation squares. A few clicks and I had a perfect match and brownish nails.

A classic version with just black, red and gold is also available.

*** FOOTWEAR WILL BE OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE IN STORE FROM NOV-22 2011 ***

It is a hot desert morn in Joplin. The roads are worn and silent. Part of a Route 66 set of biker sims, the landscape is both diverse and convincing. My outfit of the early hours boasts another new hair from EMO-tions. Eryn is long and straight, flowing with your movements. Hairpins keep this casual do on the neat side. The fringe stole, color change in red, blue, violet, grey and brown is also a new release from EMO-tions.

Completing my outfit are parts of a huge all in one set called Rockstar from Beautiful Dirty Rich. The set includes guitars (both static and with animation) skirt, tons of layers and neko parts. So whether I choose to go down This Way or That Way, I will definitely be nicely attired today.

It is a wrap party for one at my somewhat chilly but definitely healthy with all that fresh air abode. I finished my latest video and after a little testing to make sure that it is good to go, it will be up on my YouTube channel. I will keep you apprised of the installation opening and all that jazz.

Meanwhile, now that I am a lady of leisure, I have a list of places to explore. And while I was busy working so were the designers it seems with lots of new releases out. Shown here is a prop that couldn't be more timely for my world, a couch set with movie projector! And what a cute one it is. It comes complete with popcorn as well as a blank movie screen. You could of course use your own TV if you have one. Best of all, it is all yours for a Linden if you can find it (and I bet you can) on the Happy Feet Hunt at the BoatHouse. Rug, popcorn and eating animation in the loveseat give you the perfect excuse to relax -- and that sounds good to me.

My extremely cute hat with hair as well as the coordinating warm scarf are new releases from EMO-tions. The hair is *ALINA* /naturals. The shawl has the same ALINA name. My warm and snuggly sweater is a hunt prize from Argyle Anonymous. Look for a bottle of liquor on the Dirty Turkey Hunt.

Happily I begun filming in my foggy and rainy city. When I came back to the world (you need to turn off the interface and huds while filming so you are pretty much out of touch) I was greeted by two new spectacular (in caps) releases. So I took time out to change -- well of course I did -- and snap these shots so you wouldn't miss the news.

This be still my beating heart dress is a group gift from the new brand -- Celoe which unveils later this week at a temporary location. If they were planning on making a splash with this opening present, they accomplished their task. It is gorgeous. Five sizes (XXS to L) come in the pack as well as alpha layers and sizing charts, so this should fit most ladies. This is a mesh item of course so a mesh viewer will be needed for wearing and viewing. Circumstances had me move on to a mesh viewer full time this week, so I didn't even have to relog. And trust me I am going to be wearing this a LOT *wink*.

click photo for larger picture

Also new, mesh and very impressive are these new Faelin pumps from the Alice Project (new location). These come in fourteen material styles with 27 colors in each pack. The hud shown here is for a limited blogger addition and even those choices are numerous. I am wearing Vibrant Patent Leather 2 version. A very easy to use hud lets you change parts and pieces to your liking including heel shape style. I went with a semi- sedate look to go with my neutral outfit. These are also available on the Marketplace.

It's Occupy Wall Street Day. Now I am not a particularly political person and this IS a fashion blog, but when I received an email asking me to do my part, it seemed like checking out the Second Life virtual activities would be an appropriate activity of the morn. There are several events planned for the day.

You need gear for you protesting of course, and you can pick up a huge assortment of free signs, backdrops (my favorite words of peace one is shown in the top photo), gestures, tee shirts and other statement making props at OCCUPY WALL STREET SECONDLIFE.

One great place to get inspired is the Occupy Wallstreet Art Exhibit. There you can see both 2D and 3D art echoing the theme. Be sure and vote for your favorites.

From one of the art works:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in the spirit of brotherhood.

Life has changed. 911 redefined the world as we know it. New challenges have arisen.

Many of the folks participating in today's events are part of the more recent generations. They have heard about the 60s, the revolution, the Peace and Love era. It is no longer that time.

The world moves on from decade to decade and with it new leaders are born. Whether you take part in the corporeal world, or sneak into virtual mode during your lunch break -- note that history is in the making.

Finally done with my LEA installation, I am beginning to settle in. I have 800 plus prims left and so making a temporary home seems like a opportune idea. There is more to that story of course, but first this great hat and hair *wink*.

The very cute sun hat which I had a coordinating outfit for with no fuss or muss is a gift from Sway's at the Vintage Fair. So very pretty it pairs nicely with a new hair release from Pomme d' Amour -- Hangover Hair. I am not sure where that name comes from. It is both sedate and stylish and definitely fits into the retro era.

Being well dressed is of course important, but the furnishing that surround us set the mood for our happiness -- or lack thereof. So I was very happy to see this fun retro set added to the vintage event. It comes with a variety of poses including couples poses for the couch. There are color change options and the lamp of course gives real SL light. A great set for those that love moving back in time.

Everything shown here is included in the set except for the botanical paintings which come from Concrete Flowers -- those walls just looked so bare! I have just begun to settle in, but this is a great start.

There is a new skin for guys just out. He goes by the name of Zeus and he is a hottie. Now there is really no point in panting over this fellow (that's either you or me) as he is simple me in guy form *wink*. Chav got a makeover today courtesy of UNIQUE MEGASTORE. Zeus comes in three tan skin tones with this being the darkest. Twelve facial hairs are available and each comes in a set with variations of hair base and chest hairs.

I am used to the boy next door Chav in the top photo, but I have to admit that some of the other choices are wickedly enticing. We all seem to have a bit of "bad boy" or girl hiding in the corners of our libidos. Or, maybe not hiding for everyone!

Stop by and try out the demos. Nany Merlin has indeed made a nice skin for the Y chromosome set.

The boxers in the top photo are this months freebie from the always good to the guys Vitamenstore. Chav's hair is from Amacci, necklace from Yabusaki.

I journeyed out on an adventure last eve to The Path. New dollarbie cargo jeans and another color of the Messy sweater from Paradisis formed my base wardrobe. This time I added that warm scarf I was craving in the snow. I am not sure how long I have had the KOSH-DRAZI SCARF in moss, but it is perfect for keeping warm -- stylishly so. Sometimes very cute items sit around for awhile in that save for a rainy (or snowy) day; this seems to be one of them. *JeSyLiLO*::Boonta::RED*RealRed hair adds a little punch to the look.

If you haven't ventured over to the LEA group art exhibit, it is an intriguing trek. This installation is Marcus Inkpen's contribution to the group showing. I had to smile on my arrival as I had been thinking of making a set along this same theme. I guess the saying about no new ideas is true or perhaps we each picked up our inspiration from a stream of Universal thought. An interesting contemplation.

Don't slip! Snow has come early to Portland, Oregon -- the virtual one that is. I love this not so authentic version; no wet feet, no sidewalks to shovel, no drippy trees that wet your neck as you walk by. The Portland Connection is the perfect place to show you this new Messy sweater (yes, that is the style name) from Paradisis. I LOVE the sleeves! Plenty of colors to choose from of course; lots of layers as always.

My pants and necklace are also designs from this four year old brand. Honestly, this knit top calls for a nice warm cuddly scarf that maybe lets a little bit of that low neckline show, but I wanted you to see the details *wink*.

The Portland Connection is a fun place to visit and a handy landmark to keep in your snow photo ops folder for the upcoming season. There are two sims and I have only begun to explore this new to me build. I have to admit that I had forgotten how difficult photos in all this white can be. So on my list (not too close to the top) is making new snow Windlight settings.

My top pose is part of the Menstuff Hunt set from HelaMiyo -- gals can have fun too. My grocery bag is a slightly modded version (condoms moved inside the bag :D) from CONCRETE FLOWERS.